THEE RANT

Friday, July 24, 2009

From yournabe.com by Thomas Tracy:Police are looking under every rock for clues that will lead them to the person who shot a 36-year-old Flatlands man dead in his Land Rover last week.

Louis Burch left his home on East 53rd Street near Avenue O on the night of July 21, telling his wife that he needed to run to the store.

At 6:22 a.m. the next morning, a pedestrian called 911. Burch was found slumped over the steering wheel. He had been shot in the back of the head. Investigators believe that his killer shot him through the driver’s side window, which had been rolled down. “Either [Burch] already had his window rolled down or someone walked up to the car and he had rolled the window down to talk to the person,” said one police source. “We’re still trying to figure out which.” Detectives have ruled out robbery, making it more probable that the killer could be someone Burch knows. But it’s still unclear as to who -- a nagging question that is causing police to take a closer look at Burch, his family, and known associates.

His wife actually heard the gunshot at around 9 p.m., police were told. She investigated the noise, but didn’t see her husband’s Land Rover. “She comes out of the side of the house, looks left and looks right, sees nothing and goes back inside,” the source said, disputing published reports that the woman never stepped outside. The vehicle, it turned out, was on the other side of the corner home.

ADVERTISEMENT

Detectives were reportedly looking into Burch’s business dealings, among other possible motives.While friends and family said that Burch, who had a criminal record, bought, improved and sold homes, sources said it was unclear just what he did. “He didn’t have a 9 to 5 job, let’s just put it that way,” the source said. “He would go out to all hours of the night and even his wife didn’t exactly know what he did.”

Police are asking anyone with information about Burch’s death to come forward. Cops are also looking for witnesses who may have seen or heard the shooting.